Treasure of Dios
by Rythaine Wolf Armageddon
Summary: AU. When the pirate Utena and her crew came to Ohtori Town, Anthy Himemiya's life turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Utena as much as I wish I did **

The Treasure of Dios

Of Pirates and Princesses

It was pitch-black with nary a cloud in the sky, only the twinkling stars shone vividly tonight. The air was cold and frosty due to the rain which had poured over the country, creating a thin layer of mist that lent the now reticent, sleeping town of Ohtori a ghostly atmosphere.

Anthy Himemiya, 18 year old daughter of the only and current Japanese governor ever to exist in early England, was gazing out at the calm seas of the ocean in profound thought on the two-storey mansion's balcony. Her arms were resting on the railing of the rose-engraved balcony and a thoughtful expression graced the beautiful features of the young woman. For a person of primarily Japanese heritage she was of average height and matched up to most of the girls in England her age. She supposed her height was from her British mother, as well as her light green eyes because her father was only just a little taller than her and when Anthy wore heels she even surpassed him significantly.

An ethereal light, cast by the moon, illuminated her form and lent the waters brilliant sparkles.

As a child Anthy always had been fascinated with pirates and read every piece of information, every single document, book and novel that was available to her. She dreamed of meeting a pirate one day and eventually gotten the idea of standing out here at night time before she had to sleep on the balcony of the mansion she inhabited with her father and her brother, peering across at the seas in some wistful dream of seeing a pirate's ship on the horizon with skull-bones and all. It was a habit really, one she had started at a young age and seemed like some kind of ritual.

"I wonder…" Anthy said softly, propping her head on her elbows. "I wonder what it would be like to be a pirate."

The midnight wind swept through the obsidian night, stirring the roots of the purple mane of hair that rolled in one smooth wave down her back and swaying it gently to one side. A burst of waves lapped silently over the shores of the sandy beach at the back of the house, touching the small rise of rock. Anthy's eyes strayed to the moon, bloated and fat, shifting in and out of view behind mist.

An image of her in a dress dancing on the deck of a ship with a strong, dashing captain under the moonlight appeared in her mind's eye. Yes, the notion of even marrying a pirate occurred to her more than once. Pushing herself off the balcony, Anthy released a small sigh. It would, couldn't ever happen.

Pirates were society's outcasts, lowlifes and she, as a noblewoman, could never marry a pirate.

For another thing she was already engaged to the son of the highly respected local musician Armand Kellington, Mickey and so consequently any other romances with any other person were forbidden.

Anthy's gaze grew soft at the thought of the blue-haired boy. He was endearingly sweet and gentle, probably would make a fine husband when they married-not too far off in the future actually, and he truly did love her with all his heart and soul.

As much as Anthy tried to return his love in equal measure she couldn't. She just simply didn't love him. She treasured him dearly as a friend but as her lover? No. More often than not she felt sympathy and a terrible guilt at her feelings, at what she was doing to the young man.

A yawn threatened Anthy, reminding her of the need to get to sleep. Covering it with a hand, she turned and quiet as a mouse, walked back inside her bedroom. As she closed the glass doors a giggle lighted her face as she saw her pet mouse, Chu-Chu, roll over in his sleep and squeak a little.

"Good night Chu-Chu," Anthy whispered so she wouldn't wake him.

Hopping into bed, she pulled the luxurious rose-embroidered covers up to her chin. So maybe it was an impossible dream, Anthy thought as she gazed up at the ceiling. But Anthy's heart pounded excitedly in her rib-cage every time she heard stories of pirates or tales of pillaging and plundering or the word 'pirates' or anything related to the subject was mentioned. Encased in this dignified, predictable life of hers Anthy Himemiya was starting to find it a little boring. Yet as the winds swirled through the air, whispering through the water and teasing the trees, Anthy soon fell into a peaceful slumber with only the faint ticking the clock punctuating the air occasionally.

"Jesus Christ, we can't see anythin' in this fog." A white-haired crew-man murmured on an old-fashioned yet charmingly rustic ship meandering about the seas not very far away from Ohtori Town.

"The night don't help anything either," Another crew-member, this one a dark-skinned woman with brown eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail and of a tall, athletic build, added in a dark tone without looking at her fellow crew-mate.

They were up on the hull of the deck with the other members of the 10-man crew (including the Captain and Second in Command and First Mate who were not present on deck at the moment) on the White Rose. At the helm of the ship was a handsome shoulder-length blue haired man with a rapier attached to a belt on his side, steering the ship with an easy, laid-back energy but he was also being careful. His eyes scanned the fog in front of him, attempting to pierce through the fog whenever it dissipated in some hope of escaping his navigating in the figurative dark but to no avail. The fog was too misty, too much.

"Briggs, get down to the Captain and report to her about the conditions." He said to the man. "Tell her we're going to have to stop for a while until the fog clears."

"Aye Ruka," The robust man strode past all the others to the top of the stairs.

As he strode past two women who were playing cards on the damp floor the brunette

reached out slyly, tugging his pants. He glanced at her, a knowing smile playing about his lips.

"I'll tell her, don't worry."

Briggs descended the hatch to the Captain and crew's quarters, some relief coming to him as the freezing cold which had gripped his skin up on the main deck disappear into something less. Only moonlight cast long shadows here and there, illuminating the wide hallway haphazardly. It was alright though. Briggs knew where to go. He had been here long enough.

"Capt' ain, it's Briggs here." He reported, knocking on the door.

Two pairs of voices were arguing and they stopped abruptly as he knocked. Then the Captain's voice rang out.

"Come in."

He obliged and wasn't surprised to see Second in Command Juri Arigusawa and First Mate Wakaba Shinohara inside with the Captain who was sitting at the table, clad in her usual attire of stitched-vest over a plain white sleeved shirt, with the feathered pirate hat lying aside on the bottom hammock out of the two hammocks kept stable by pegs and string. The room was neat, very neat.

She was plotting something on the map and looked very tired. Wakaba had her arms around the Captain's neck, her chin resting on her shoulder while Juri was standing on the right side, her hands in closed fists on the table and a disgruntled expression on her face. Upon seeing Briggs her brows furrowed, troubled.

"What have you come for Briggs?" Captain Tenjou inquired.

"Ruka sent me down Capt' ain. The weather ain't right an' he can't see a damn thing in this. He suggests stoppin' for a while 'til the fog clears up."

The pink-haired woman lowered the compass, rubbing her eyes. "Tell him I'll be more than happy to. It won't do us any good to keep on going with this wretched weather. And tell the rest the crew they can go to sleep now then."

She fought a yawn but unbidden, it emerged anyway. Wakaba immediately began fussing over the captain like a mother with a child the second she saw it who tried to reassure the brown-haired girl that she was fine. The fact that her eyes were battling to stay open undermined that fact.

"Yes Capt' ain." Before Briggs departed he said to Juri, "Shiori sends her love to you."

The orange-head's features seemed to soften and she smiled, "Tell her I know. She doesn't have to."

Briggs left, closing the door behind him. Wearily, he ascended the stairs again back into the freezing cold. With the heavy rain that had fell this afternoon coldness had accompanied it, penetrating the souls of the crew of the White Rose with its icy grasp.

Back in the Captain's room, Juri threw her hands in the air in utter frustration.

"Look, why don't we just sail freely until we stumble on some land then?" She said exasperatingly.

"Fine with me, I just want to get some rest after that battle with those pirates," Utena exhaled in relief, leaning back in the rickety chair.

"I still don't know what sort of trick they were trying to pull. I mean to say, they were outnumbered horrendously. It was hard not to kill them," Juri mused.

At this, Utena said quietly. "Juri, don't say that. I never wanted to engage in battle and things…they got out of hand."

She was gazing at the surface of the table, blue eyes darkening. Sometimes life wasn't easy and as she thought back to the battle she and her crew had faced just two hours ago, she hoped she hadn't done the wrong thing.

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Author's Notes: Confession time. I'm not really a fan of romance. Stories where the romance is unpredictable is alright but a full-out romance story I will never write. I know it's kind of ironic considering this story is tagged as Romance BUT romance is by far going to play a second role to the other aspects of this story. Anyway, reviews are always welcome:D. Otherwise, I wouldn't know the quality of my work or how to improve. Oh yes, and I hope the last scene didn't sound too corny.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Utena **

The White Rose

Anthy knew something was unusual the minute she stepped out into the streets. People were hurrying up the street in haste. Children, adults, young girls and young boys, she saw at least ten of them running along the streets from the window while she was getting dressed for the day. What could be causing such a stir? She wondered.

Nobody was getting married, divorced, no scandal or proposals, no huge dilemma had occurred in the town of Ohtori.

"Anthy, are you ready yet?" Her father called, knocking on the door.

"Almost father," Anthy answered.

"Good because we have just received an important call from Spain. Akio has come back from his trip and he will be here in two hours."

Anthy's fingers fumbled on the lacing of her dress.

"Anthy, did you hear me?" Her father asked after a short moment of silence.

"Yes, yes father. Sorry, I was alarmed," Anthy responded hastily. "I'll be out soon."

She waited until his foot-steps had faded away before sinking into her bed. Of course that was what it must have been, why everybody had been rushing just then. They wanted to see the only son of the governor, now a well-learned man of the world instead of an awkward teenager, and greet him from his long journey. So popular was he that the town would be waiting such a long time beforehand. After all, it had been seven years since the residents of Ohtori had seen their beloved son. Anthy sighed, tickling Chu-Chu playfully as he scrambled up onto the bed next to her.

"Seven years...have you changed Akio?" Anthy murmured quietly.

It wasn't Akio though. Anthy received the shock of her life when she caught sight of the ship anchored to the docks while riding to Armand Kellington's house that day. Excitement lit up her face. She halted the driver of the carriage politely much to her shocked father's dismay and hurried out. The crowd, too curious about the ship, didn't notice her at first but when she curtly requested passage through their attention ranged to her, allowing her easier movement through.

Upon reaching the front of the crowd, she saw the flag waving in the morning breeze and gasped, eyes widening. White…it was pure white bearing a pink rose with two silver swords crossed over it. One word played in her mind: _Pirate. _

"Geeze, I didn't know we'd bring in this much of a crowd." Wakaba said in awe as she peered over the edge of the ship railing, scrutinizing the residents with unmasked interest.

"You'd think by their faces they ain't ever seen a pirate before," Gabrielle snorted, brown eyes flashing. She leant on the railing with crossed arms, regarding the residents with disinterest.

"Maybe they haven't. They're landlubbers after all." Wakaba murmured. "Wow, look at their clothes!"

"So where are we again?" Shiori questioned idly from her position sitting on an upturned barrel, inspecting her nails.

"Somewhere called Ohtori Town I think. I don't know. Utena's checking it out now."

Wakaba said thoughtfully, glancing over her shoulder at where the pink-haired captain was listening to an amused-looking Ruka showing her where he had been sailing roughly on the map after she had retired to her cabin yesterday.

"I see. So if we back-track then we can pick up where we left off," Utena said thoughtfully.

"Or we could just stay here," Juri suggested, striding up beside the shorter woman.

"Hmmm, Juri's right Captain. At this point we're stocked with enough food and water from those last merchant ships? And we have gold and silver to spend." Ruka pondered.

"I suppose," Utena replied slowly.

"Then perhaps we can have a look at this town. See what it's like, whether there are any good landlubbers around to have a good roughhousing with and of course, looting what we can." Ruka grinned at the last part and those who were close to the three looked at the Captain eagerly.

Wakaba ran to Utena, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her briefly in sheer excitement and enthusiasm. "Can we go Utena? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeassssssssseeeeeeeeee?" Wakaba stretched out the last please in a begging whine, her face an inch away from Utena's and a puppy dog expression on her face.

"Alright, alright, we'll go." Utena laughed good-naturedly, used to the eccentric behaviour which followed Wakaba's common bursts of excitement.

Wakaba released a squeal of delight and threw her arms around Utena in an overwhelming hug which caused the Captain to stumble back a little with the force of it.

The crew, also used to Wakaba's behaviour, smiled or chuckled. Juri was chortling, Kozue just looked mildly irritated and Shiori was watching the scene with an unfolding smile. Gabrielle was shaking her head and Briggs was grinning.

"Um, I have a question."

Utena looked over Wakaba's shoulder at the speaker in confusion. Everybody else's attention snapped to the teenager. Kozue was glaring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What if, pray tell, this Ohtori place doesn't accept us?"

"I don't see how it can't. I mean, it's free public land," Utena said assuredly, rubbing the back of her head. She seemed oblivious to the glare that Kozue was giving her.

"We're pirates. The last two places who hadn't heard of pirates before didn't take to us kindly," Kozue said bluntly.

"Uh, well if that's the case then we'll just have to hurry back before any of us get hurt." Utena said firmly.

"Kozue, are you satisfied now? We would like to get the townspeople to stop staring at us now." Juri demanded with a dangerous note in her voice.

The blue-haired girl had nothing else to say and at any rate Juri's voice was indication enough that she was bordering crossing the line.

The crew of the White Rose descended the ship and were welcomed with stares. Utena wondered if they truly had seen pirates before. She understood their fascination come to think of it. Utena and her crew were dressed in a way that was drastically different from theirs-vests, hats, sashes, loose pants, a few had bandannas, some loose trinkets here and there visible to public eye, worn boots and shirts, not to mention the fact that they were carrying swords visibly and additionally, hidden from public eye, pistols or firearms of some sort which included Shiori, Ruka, Kozue, Gabrielle and Briggs. There was also a high-class refinery about the clothing the townspeople wore, something which their scruffy clothes lacked.

"Well I'll be off to find a pub, coming Briggs, Shiori?" Ruka said. Utena could already see the young man's eyes on the females in the audience and she warned him, "You three had better not get drunk again Ruka, or do anything vulgar. I don't want to have to enforce violence when I can avoid it."

"Of course Captain Tenjou. We'll behave ourselves," Ruka said brusquely and weaved seamlessly into the crowd.

"Like hell they will," Juri muttered underneath her breath as Briggs gave Utena a nod and Shiori a demure smile before following Ruka.

The crowd didn't seem to be lessening but having noticed the swords, kept well away. As the rest of her crew drifted away to do their own business except for Juri and Wakaba a little girl, about eight years old, dashed from the crowd up to Utena. The pink-haired captain smiled warmly, kneeling down on the ground to the girl's eye level and took her hand.

"Hey, is there anything I can do for you?"

The girl didn't seem to be interested in speaking much though and shyly reached up to touch Utena's pink hair, extreme curiosity creasing her youthful features.

"Oh, you want to see how my hair is like?" Utena chuckled ruefully, knowing how much her unusual hair colour and twin braids decorated with exotic colourful beads attracted the attention of young children.

"Elizabeth, get away from her!" An elderly woman cried; rushing out from the crowd and pulling the girl back. The woman threw a terrified look Utena's way before hastening to go.

Utena stood up, her smile fading. "Don't worry about it Utena," Juri said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, they just don't understand." Wakaba flashed a beaming smile and added, leaping on Utena's back. "Anyway, you'll always have me Utena-sama, your bestest best friend in the whole wide world!"

The smile returned at the brown-haired girl's words and she turned her head a little so she could see Wakaba. "I guess I'm lucky huh?"

"I think I'll go join Shiori and the others. Lord knows what they're up to," Juri said grimly. "I'll be seeing you two love-birds later." Wakaba waved bye, snuggling closer to Utena while the Captain pleaded with her eyes to not be left alone with a hyper-active Wakaba. Juri winked at her and sidled into the crowd which was starting to thin out now although a significant amount of people remained.

"Everybody back to your businesses now," An authoritative voice barked out suddenly.

Everyone jumped. Then the pistol shot rang through the air and then another and another and another. The crowd broke into mass hysteria, running. Shock crossed Utena's face followed almost instantly by anger. She recognized the sounds of those shots as easily as a pianist to a piano.

"No way," Wakaba whispered, sliding off Utena and staring at her best friend.

Utena's eyes, usually so earnest and gentle, were filled with rage. Her hands were bunched into fists. Someone screamed. Utena whipped around towards the direction of the noise, her hand instinctively snapping to her sword. She saw a flash of purple hair disappear beneath the ocean waters. Wasting no time she bolted to the place where the young woman had fallen and performing an exquisite dive, she too disappeared beneath the waters with a SPLASH and only the hat floating adrift.

"Utena-sama!" Wakaba was at the edge of the shore, anxiously staring at the churning waters.

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Author's Notes: Akio wasn't going to play a big part originally. I was going to have him be off on a business trip or something like that but I re-considered after a while. Oh yes, and I did base Utena's hair-style a bit on Jack Sparrow's:D with the beads.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Utena**

My Saviour

When Utena finally dragged the unconscious woman up onto the docks with the help of Wakaba to lift her up her heart was racing madly and her mind awhirl in a maelstrom of thoughts. She knelt down beside the woman, beginning air compressions.

"Please, please wake up!" Utena prayed desperately.

After two agonizingly long minutes the woman choked, spurting torrents of water out of her water. Blinking a few times to clear dizziness, she stared up at her relieved saviour with a pair of stunning dark green eyes and Wakaba thought she saw the strangest expression grace her face but it was there only for a moment. She was squeezing water out of Utena's hat.

"I'm glad you're alright m'lady," Utena smiled slightly down at the woman.

"Are you…are you a pirate?" She asked hopefully, sitting up.

"Well…" Utena started, uncertain what to say and perplexed at her question as it was not something someone would say after being saved from drowning to death.

"Yep but we really have to go now don't we Utena?" Wakaba answered for her, taking her hand.

"Hold it she-devils!" An elderly man shouted, striding forth. Wakaba and Utena were surprised to see that it was a Japanese man dressed in regal clothes, the governor no doubt. A young man with sky blue hair brushed past him, going to the woman's side. "Anthy, are you alright?" 

"Yes I'm fine," She reassured as he took off his coat, wrapping it around the soaked woman tenderly.

"We have to get out of here Utena," Wakaba said nervously as she eyed the guards that were filing into the area. She turned only to be faced with a musket and backed away.

Utena stepped in front of Wakaba protectively, eyes and ears attuned to the danger present now. Her fingers curled around the hilt of the sword and she whispered to Wakaba out of the corner of her mouth.

"Be ready to fight."

"Kiryuu, kill them!" The elderly man commanded the guard on his left side, a long-haired, red-head.

"Such a pity though, I mean to say, killing such lovely women." The red-head mused, an appraising smile teasing his lips.

"Do it!" 

"As you wish," He sighed. Utena had time to see a flash of silver and covering Wakaba with her body, she unsheathed her own with deadly efficiency and swung upwards, intending to meet Kiryuu's sword with hers.

However, the woman, Anthy, appeared in front of her in that precise moment. Utena's blade halted .01 millimetres away from slicing her head open and Kiryuu's sword just touched the woman's hair.

"Anthy, what are you doing?" The elderly man cried out.

"Please father, do not kill them. What happened to me was not their fault and at any rate,

I'm fine now." She implored, holding her ground.

For Utena and Wakaba's part, they were grateful and puzzled at the same time, especially Utena.

"But, but Anthy, they, they-" Her father sputtered.

"One of them saved me from certain death and the other has committed no crime," Anthy finished. "Please grant them your pity and let them go and stay here freely."

He seemed to be having an internal debate within himself but finally he said through gritted teeth, annoyed. "Alright then, you…people…are allowed to go. Guards, put down your weapons now!" 

They obliged. Utena released the breath she had been holding, lowering her sword.

"Well what are you waiting for? Get out of here," The man snapped.

"Wait," Anthy spoke up. She turned around, facing Utena and took her sopping wet hand. The skin felt rough and coarse from the labour which was essential to keep a good, clean ship but as Anthy's eyes met hers, there was only an endearing kindness to them.

"Thank you for saving me Miss Utena." She said, smiling at her with a smile which reached her eyes.

Wakaba snatched her hand out of the woman's, "Utena, come on! Remember the gun shot?" 

She whisked the pink-haired captain away. Utena cast a throwaway glance at the woman named Anthy and what she saw both interested and bemused her. She was positively beaming and her eyes alight with sheer ecstasy.

"It's like you made her day or something Utena." Wakaba muttered.

Despite the fact that Anthy was drenched to the bone and had been hovering somewhere between life and death, she was both shocked and jubilant at the same time. A pirate! She had actually met a real pirate but…a troubled look crossed her features. In the lush carriage next to Mickey she creased her eyebrows as she scoured the depths of her brain for any information regarding female pirates. She knew they did exist, albeit very few but none ever commandeered a ship as powerful and sleek as that one and another oddity was that there were more females than men. She had counted six altogether out of the 10 crew members. But what really intrigued her was the fact that all of them except for maybe two of the men couldn't be any older than 20. The young woman, Utena, was the captain and at such a young age of 18 too. At least, that's what she assumed judging from her general appearance.

"Anthy, are you really alright?" Mickey asked worriedly as he draped a spare piece of clothing over her shoulders.

Anthy shivered involuntarily but gave Mickey a small smile of reassurance. "I'll be alright once I dry myself when I return back home Mickey."

To his credit he asked no further questions but clasped his hand over hers, offering his body warmth to her. Anthy leaned into him, partly because of the desire to attain some sort of warmth for her coldness but also out of friendship.

"Mickey, what do you know about pirates?"

Mickey looked across at her in surprise, smiling gently. "Not much but whatever I know you probably already would. Why? Is it because of what happened today?"

"I guess so. From the books and documents I've read the pirates I saw just then were not the ones I had really heard of or read about." Anthy elaborated. She gazed at the floor unseeingly, "They didn't seem rowdy or disruptive at all or dirty." 

"Well there are always things in this world which are new to us," Mickey said sagely.

Anthy's eyes flicked to the blue-haired young man knowingly and she said playfully, eyes sparkling. "Has your father been teaching you philosophy recently?"

Mickey blushed. "A few days ago."

"It suits you well," Anthy said.

"Thank you." 

When they stopped outside the governor's house, Mickey said seriously. "Anthy, do not get involved with these pirates. I know you want to find out about them but they will do you more harm than good and they are dangerous to be around. It was because of the presence of them today that you nearly drowned and they have endangered the lives of five civilians today. Please, promise me you will not consort with them or anything of the sort.

"Five civilians?" Anthy stared at him in shock.

"Yes and two were children. Your father is deciding their punishment as we speak so please Anthy, do not go near them. I do not want to loose you." Mickey pleaded, gazing at her with caring eyes.

Anthy's heart ached with sadness whenever she saw that love and worry in his eyes so she did what she usually did. "I promise I will have nothing to do with them." She lied.

Quickly she hurried to intercept her father, Mickey's words ringing in her mind. _Your father is deciding their punishment as we speak… _She thanked the lord he couldn't see her expression at the moment or read her mind.

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Author's Notes: Too short? Too long? Not interesting enough? Tell me what you think. School's going to start in another few weeks so I won't have as much time to write but I'll try to.

Naoko Tachido: Lol, it's not totally Jack Sparrowish and thanks :D. As for the vampire story, yes I do have it in my files. The thing was that I wanted to experiment since it was my first time uploading anything onto and that fic was the one I'd been working on at the time. I have intentions of putting it up but just…not…yet.

Infamous.Rene: Yep, there will definitely be more, J


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Utena **

A Pirate's Life

Captain Tenjou rarely shouted or become enraged. In fact, the crew could only remember a few times when she had in the long time which they had served under her rule on the ship. However, at the very moment an adequate term to describe her right now was…well as Ruka usually remarked in reference to Juri's temper whenever it flared, "Spitting mad. I pity the sorry fool who incited her anger."

Ironically, the dark blue-haired man was the one who was incurring his captain's wrath at the moment. The formerly neat pub was virtually deserted. It was looked like a tidal wave had smashed into it as well what with the tables and chairs lying in splintered heaps, broken glass littering the floor and windows that were shattered with panes of glass hanging from the beam. It was for a 'good reason' as Ruka, Shiori and Briggs tried to explain to their furious captain who wouldn't let them get a word in edge-ways.

"I thought I told you three not to make idiots out of yourselves!!!!!" Utena roared. Her eyes were flashing with lethal venom and face contorted into a terrifying mask and even though she was shorter than Ruka and Briggs, seemed to loom over them. "We'll be lucky to still stay in this place with the trouble you've created!!!!"

"_Captain_, maybe you should-" Juri stressed the word from where she was watching the scene unfold; that is from near Shiori.

"And you, why didn't you make sure this didn't happen?" Utena snapped to Juri.

"Wait, leave Juri out of this." Shiori said angrily.

"Utena, you've yet to hear their side of the story." Wakaba tried to calm her down.

"They'd better have a damn good one to explain why five people were sent to the infirmary nearly dead," Utena snarled, glowering at the trio in question vehemently. "I mean, you weren't even looting or plundering anything for god's sakes!"

"Captain Tenjou. If you would please just relax I will explain everything," Ruka finally managed to get in, his hands up in front of him in defence.

"Alright, let's hear what you have to say." Utena commanded harshly, arms crossed over her chest.

"You see…we had just settled into seats here when a pirate approached us." Ruka began.

"He was a funny one, lookin' pretty bruised and beaten up. We figured he'd been into a lotta skirmishes cos' he had scars all over the place and a glass eye," Briggs added.

"Aye," Ruka agreed. "He was drunk and rambling about something about being marooned and a power to revolutionize the world and how sorry that bastard Captain would once he took his revenge and so on. Anyway, it was just the ranting of a drunkard. Most of it was incoherent at any rate so we couldn't tell one word from another. We ignored him but he kept on babbling and to tell you the truth, I don't think we were the only ones who wanted to shut him up."

"He was scarin' everyone in the pub." Briggs muttered.

"And then?" Juri prompted, her eyes flicking to Shiori who was starting to look visibly upset.

There was a pause in which Ruka seemed hesitant, an unusual thing for the man which caught Utena and Wakaba by surprise. "Then another man came, a fellow pirate I wager, and spoke to him so quietly we didn't hear but it seemed to calm the man down. Then Shiori decided to…well," Ruka avoided Juri's eyes at what he said next. "Tease the first one. She left us to go with them and Briggs and I thought she would be fine. Then the next we thing we hear are gunshots coming from Shiori's pistol and the two pirates were fighting with each other. It was an all-out brawl and everyone panicked. By the time this place had cleared out the pirates were nowhere to be seen. Before you ask, it wasn't Shiori who fired the shots."

"Shiori, did they do anything else to you?" Utena asked, expression softening as she turned her gaze to Shiori.

"They tried to rape me," Shiori whispered.

Wakaba bit her lip. Personally, she thought the girl was asking for it if she did something like that but Utena gave her compassion as did Juri although hers was a lover's compassion more than anything else.

"Those bastards, if I ever see them I'll make sure to have them pay." Juri swore, standing and taking Shiori in her arms comfortingly.

"That explains the mess in here I guess." Utena sighed heavily. "I'm sorry for wrongly accusing you, especially you Shiori."

"Hmmm, it seems they left something behind." Ruka mused, spying something that was very out of place in the chaos that was the pub. He knelt down to pick it up, intrigue plastered all over his face.

"Captain, I think you would like to take a look at this," He said, feeling something hard beneath the cover.

Utena walked over to the taller man, staring at the tome he was holding out to her in puzzlement. "What…?" Utena took it.

It was battered, dark green and thick with the edges torn. Its leather-bound spine was hanging on by a thread and the gold engravings that had been inlaid upon the edges had dulled distinctly.

"That's weird, for a pirate to keep books." Wakaba said.

"Open it." Ruka told Utena.

She did and something fell out, making a sharp jingling noise as it contacted with shards of broken glass before rolling to a stop near Utena's heel. It was a ring.

"How did that get in there?" She leaned down, picking it up with her thumb and finger and straightened, scrutinizing it with piqued fascination.

"It's strange. The ring looks like it belongs somewhere else, not in this tatty old book." Wakaba voiced.

It was valuable, that was she was certain of. The silver used for it was fine and smooth, genuine and the attention to detail paid on the geometric engraving of the rose on the top of the round stone had not been in vain. Oddly enough, it was flawless with no scratches or damage done to it in direct contrast to the battered book it had fallen out off. Utena gazed at it, entranced. Deep inside something…something nagged at her mind, calling her to claim it. Utena's brows lowered, discontent crossing her face.

"We can get some good money for that," Briggs exclaimed, eying the ring with excitement.

"No." Utena wasn't sure what had made her decide so quickly or even consider the option but the word out of her mouth before she knew it.

Five pairs of eyes snapped to her in shell-shock. "No disrespect Captain but are you insane?!" Juri was the first to say.

"Utena, that ring could be bring us fortunes to last months, maybe even a year!" Wakaba cried, making to snatch it but she dodged out of the brunette's grasp and slipped it on her ring finger.

"It's just…a feeling I have. Trust me on this," Utena said, meeting her crew-mates' eyes levelly.

"I think that dive in the water might've gone to her head," Shiori commented weakly when the captain left them shortly after.

"Hmm," Ruka picked up the book which Utena had dropped, "Perhaps."

Searing flames coiled into the afternoon air from the burning of another merchant ship as it was raided mercilessly by a pirate ship. The majority of the merchants on board were dead, slaughtered by the crew or suffocated by the smoke inhalation. Either way, the few that had survived the pirates' first barrage of cannons and then their swords, knives and guns, were straddling the water far, far away and weren't looking back at their stolen possessions.

With the Black Rose, it would have been pointless.

Grappling hooks curled around the monstrous ship's railings as the pirates swung back onto the Black Rose, congratulating each other on their prices. Only one, a young man with pale pink hair and dressed in a neat attire of pants, white gloves, a long buttoned-up blue coat and a pair of clean buckled boots wasn't participating in the celebrations. He handed the bags of malt and flour and two bottles of rum to the nearest pirate, and unhooked the grappling hook. As he fished a cloth out of his coat pocket, drying the tip of his rapier swiftly, his Captain landed next to him, roaring with laughter. He pulled one of the few girls aboard to his side, fondling her lazily.

"Mikage, why do you look so bored?" The Captain demanded.

Mikage looked at the green-haired man, wondering how exactly he should voice his exact opinion to him without angering him. Captain Saionji Kyouichii was grinning widely at the spoils he and his crew-men had received from their latest victim and swigging down a bottle of rum in celebration. The Captain was a brash man with a quick temperament and violent, extremely violent. With alcohol in his system his violent tendencies grew even worse and he lashed out more.

"Nothing Captain Kyouichii. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go help carry our prizes downstairs," Mikage said curtly. "There won't be land for quite a while yet anyway."

His Captain didn't answer, too busy drinking down the rum and coddling Aiko. Mikage sighed, looping the grappling hook around his shoulder loosely.

"Captain, shouldn't we be looking for the treasure of Dios?" Mikage asked.

"Later! Once we find a town to pillage because after all, nobody's heard of it besides us." Saionji snorted. "And Tenjou," He muttered in an undertone. "But she's hardly anything to worry about and she won't be looking for it anyway. She's a disgrace to the name of pirates everywhere, like her father."

"I'll be down below if you need me." Mikage said warily, leaving the Captain to his business.

"You're missing out on a lot of fun up here!" The Captain boomed. Indeed, out of the crew of 25 only 10 were bothering to stow away supplies. The rest were busy gulping down rum already or studying the jewellery with great interest.

"I think I'll survive," Mikage replied dryly, disappearing down the hatch carrying two small bags of malt in each hand.

Saionji wiped his mouth with a sleeve, throwing the bottle overboard haphazardly where it crashed into the side of the merchant vessel, shattering on impact. "Off to Tortuga! Hands on deck everybody! I don't want to see a single one of you scurvy dogs slacking off or it's to Davy Jones' Locker for you!!" Saionji bellowed.

The merchant vessel was a smouldering wreck by the time the Black Rose had sailed into the distance.

Resting at the very depths of the ocean directly beneath that merchant vessel the sword of Dios lay undisturbed. Its polished silver spun one weak gleam occasionally as sometimes sunlight managed to penetrate the murky depths. It remained beneath the waters though, holding the spirit of a noble pirate who was slain decades ago. 'Noble' isn't usually a word one associates with pirates but that was the only way to describe the pirate Dios. He was naught but a famous legend now along with the likes of Calico Jack, Jack Rackham and Stede Bonnet but his legacy still lived on through his only child who possessed the same qualities and virtues of nobility and kindness of her father. The spirit within slumbered peacefully, put to rest but something stirred the spectre now. The sword's rusted silver seemed to glow dimly. Dios could not leave this earth, not when he still felt there was pain and those crying out for help in this world nor could the treasure that had been encased within the sacred ruins of his hometown.

"No, please no!" The young maid sobbed, struggling with all her might against the man pushing her up against the dirty brick wall.

He laughed, ignoring her and slapped her mightily, stunning her. "You'll do as you're told my dear and with no fuss. Now be a good girl and let me in."

His hands straddled her legs and he kissed her hungrily, ravenously. Lifting up her skirt, he whispered in her ear. "I'll have fun with you, a virgin."

Tears were flowing down her eyes and she cried out as the man gripped something very private underneath her dress, running his thumb over the sensitive area. His hands ripped the front of her blouse open.

"Please…" The maid managed to get out.

The man suddenly toppled over face-down as someone punched him in the temple, knocking him out cold. Gasping and covering her exposed breasts with a hand immediately, she looked at her rescuer with tearful thanks.

It was the pink-haired pirate, dressed in a leather vest and puffy long-sleeved shirt. She was scowling down at the now unconscious man in pure disgust, holding a long woollen shawl which she threw across her shoulder.

"Th-thank you…" The maid stammered.

The she-pirate gazed at her in concern. "Did he do anything to you?"

"N-no." Warm eyes captured hers.

"That's a relief. Come, we'd better get you back home before anything else happens." She smiled tenderly, extending a hand.

Honestly, the maid was dumb-founded at the young woman's behaviour. It was…it was not normal. Yet she took the hand that was offered.

"Here," She said softly, wrapping the shawl around her shoulders and tying it loosely so that it covered what her torn shirt had revealed. "We'd best get you home."

The maid, though she was a little scared at the thought of the older girl at such close range, was feeling…secure and safe

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Author's Notes: Wow, this one's turned out longer than I intended. O0. I hope I didn't scare some of you away with the last scene but no worries. That's the only thing that warrants my M rating, I swear it.


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